Jade Monkey

I sat there silent for several moments as I turned the idea over in my mind.

‘So… what do you think happened?’

Miss Mills leant back in her chair, arms on its side. ‘I think the theft was the work of a well-connected and organised gang. They had detailed inside knowledge, they managed to forge a key for the padlock and trick the case in which the Jade was stored.’

‘What was special about the case?’

‘The case itself was made of reinforced steel, Mr Jones. Do you really think that chains and a single padlock is considered adequate security by our insurers for something like the Jade?’ She shook her head. ‘Even so, our thieves managed open the case too.

All our precautions bar the last were sidestepped.’

‘Which was?’

She waved her hand in the air impatiently. ‘Miss Michelle thought it would be a good idea to verify the authenticity of the Jade when it arrived, so she hired an Archaeologist to carry out an appraisal.’

I nodded. ‘I think I met her that evening.’

Miss Mills turned away from me in the chair and faced the window looking out at the blue sky.

‘The Mayors murder is something else entirely, a crime of necessity. He discovered one of the thieves and was silenced.’

‘I disagree.’ I said. She turned then, and stared at me. I got the distinct impression that people seldom contradicted her.

‘How so?’

‘A few things. It’s too early to rule anything out yet.’ I’d heard hushed voices coming from the room. That’s why I’d gone in there, to get someone to raise the alarm about the theft of the Jade. The thief could have talked his way out of it easily, and he or she couldn’t have mistaken the mayor for anyone else given he was wearing his chain of office. Even then, why kill him with such a loud weapon when you know that half of Loughborough’s police force is almost literally on the other side of the wall? It just didn’t add up.

She paused thoughtfully. ‘If I were you I’d also start looking for the Mayors bodyguard. He seems to have failed spectacularly in his job after all. He may know more. I think you may want to ask your archaeologist friend a few questions about him. From what I understand she knew him somehow.’

‘I think that’s everything I wanted to know. You’ve been very helpful.’

‘You’re welcome. Goodbye Mr Jones.’

I closed the door slowly behind me, turning it all over in my mind, trying to make it all fit. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost missed the Secretary’s conspiratorial motion to come to her desk. She winked at me and lifted her finger off the intercom.

‘You should know; She and Miss Michelle never really trusted the Mayor.’

‘Could he have provided insider information to the gang.’

‘Some, not all though, they really didn’t trust him.’ She stressed the L’s in really, drawing it out.

I groaned. ‘So this gang had access to top quality resources and information and the mayor was involved.’ Again I had the sense of things not adding up. Killing the mayor made even less sense when you added the fact that he was in on the theft. Why did he meet up with the thieves? Why wasn’t his bodyguard there? Speculation ran wild in my mind.

‘Thanks for letting me know.’ I said.

‘Not a problem. Though be careful when you go to see Mark. He’s pretty high up on the criminal food chain down there.’

‘Thanks.’

She grinned. ‘Now don’t forget that drink.’

I made my way to the elevator for the long ride back down to the lobby. I held my breath as I made my way through the lobby, its sunlit marble and hurrying people crowding in. In reaching the outside air I let my breath out slowly. Miss Mills hadn’t been obviously lying about anything; she’d skipped over not trusting the mayor and knowing that Red Mark was due some respect was an important thing to omit. A guy can get in to trouble for something like that, I know. But on the whole she’d been pretty open. That worried me. Successful business people aren’t open with anyone, up to and including their own accountants. So why be open with me unless she was in a lot more trouble than I thought? Shaking my head I hailed a cab.